Flexible Service Interval, revisited

[MrDave]

Information on the flexible service interval:
Flexible Service Interval Folks! Please Read
Flexible Service Interval Retrofit?

Retailer who sells the sensor/pan combo:
www.esctuning.com


The 'correct' Vag-com settings:
42 (min distance): 15000 km
43 (max distance): 50,000 km
44 (max days): 730 days
45 (oil quality): 4 (flexible interval)

What I used as settings:
42 (min distance): 5000 km
43 (max distance): 50,000 km
44 (max days): 180 days
45 (oil quality): 4 (flexible interval)

My experiences:
First week of December my cluster told me I had 3000km till service. As I drove the car, the number kept reducing, in 100km intervals, until this past thursday, when first thing in the morning it told me 1300 km till service, then after lunch told me SERVICE NOW accompanied by a loud beep.

Here's the Vag-com summary before I reset it:
40: Distance since last: 221(00)
41: Days since last: 182
42: Minimum distance: 5(000)
43: Maximum distance: 50(000)
44: Maximum days: 180
45: Oil Quality: 4
46: Soot: 357(00)
47: thermal: 177(00)

Channels 40 and 41 reset themselves to zero when I did the adaptation of channel 2 to zero. I neglected to check 46 and 47.

I assume that my service warning was triggered by oil quality (3000km countdown), but the actual service was triggered by hitting the maximum number of days. That or the cluster did some math to start a countdown before my time ran out. It seems to be 2 weeks (14 days) from when the countdown started till when it told me to service now.

I'm also led to believe that my clock is 12 hours off...

I'm running Cat DEO oil (relabelled Delvac1), btw.

-Dave

 

[tongsli]

The 'correct' Vag-com settings:
42 (min distance): 15000 km
43 (max distance): 50,000 km
44 (max days): 730 days
45 (oil quality): 4 (flexible interval)

Any other value for Minimum distance (15000km)
or Maximum days (730) eliminates the flexible service option.

You've automatically set your cluster for fixed service interval. Another way to prove this is follow the resetting instructions using the knobs and then take a look at the values in 40-45. Using the knobs to reset your cluster automatically configures the cluster for fixed service interval.

This was discussed in the first thread you referenced above.

Channel 45 setting (4) is for Diesel and NOT "flexible service"

Your cluster hit the max 180 days before it hit your mileage maximum of 5,000 km
L

 

[MrDave]

Lito,

I don't quite agree with you (but I've been wrong before).
From the service interval coding document you pulled from elsa, link page 5:
Channel 45: 00004 for flex service interval, long life diesel oil
Channel 45: 00002 for flex service interval, long life gasoline oil
Channel 45: 00001 for fixed interval

Looking at my cluster coding, the 4th digit is set to 1, for flex interval with sensor.

Reading thru the Elsa document, some things are mentioned which I don't fully grasp. It states 720 days for flexible, 360 days for fixed.

Keep in mind that this is a VW service document, and what is printed in it is the factory spec, nowhere does it say that if your day or km settings are different, that the functionality will not work.

If my cluster is coded for flex, and my oil spec is set for flex, why would the cluster force me to a fixed interval because I entered a different maximum number of days?
It so happens that it was the number of days that triggered my service, but the reason I entered 180 days is because I feel the oil should be changed at least every 6 months. The flex service part is set up so that if the oil falls below spec, the cluster will tell me to change it earlier.

I think this is something that needs to be explored.

Besides, on page 7, the document states that '50' is the setting for max distance diesel, while on page 8 it states that '30' is the setting for max distance diesel.

-Dave

 

[MOGolf]

To add to the confusion: it depends on which cluster you have.

I don't have a channel 46. I do have a 47 and a 48. Max days for me is either 365 or 730.

If you think your clock is off by 12 hours, set the cluster to UK, then set the time with the 24 hour clock display. Then reset to US if you prefer.

 

[tongsli]

Lito,

I don't quite agree with you (but I've been wrong before).
From the service interval coding document you pulled from elsa, link page 5:
Channel 45: 00004 for flex service interval, long life diesel oil
Channel 45: 00002 for flex service interval, long life gasoline oil
Channel 45: 00001 for fixed interval

Looking at my cluster coding, the 4th digit is set to 1, for flex interval with sensor.

Reading thru the Elsa document, some things are mentioned which I don't fully grasp. It states 720 days for flexible, 360 days for fixed.

Keep in mind that this is a VW service document, and what is printed in it is the factory spec, nowhere does it say that if your day or km settings are different, that the functionality will not work.

If my cluster is coded for flex, and my oil spec is set for flex, why would the cluster force me to a fixed interval because I entered a different maximum number of days?
It so happens that it was the number of days that triggered my service, but the reason I entered 180 days is because I feel the oil should be changed at least every 6 months. The flex service part is set up so that if the oil falls below spec, the cluster will tell me to change it earlier.

I think this is something that needs to be explored.

Besides, on page 7, the document states that '50' is the setting for max distance diesel, while on page 8 it states that '30' is the setting for max distance diesel.

-Dave

Well Dave, I'm not sure what you want to hear. You present the evidence of what you're doing is not achieveing what you want,(by your own personal experience) but you question it because the instructions don't explicitly state what you're doing is not correct?

Everyone else is following the instructions and achieveing the same results, the instructions are pretty clear to me I'm not sure what elese there is to figure out.

Read on Page 6 of the PDF. It clearly states:

It the dash panel is coded to "flexible"(long-life service)enter adaptation value 00720.

The dash panel insert will be set to "non-flexible"i.e. time or distance dependant service when entering adaptation value 00360.

It doesn't state expliticly if you don't use 720 days, that it will revert to fix service, but our collective experience says that it does and will.

 

[MrDave]

Well Dave, I'm not sure what you want to hear. You present the evidence of what you're doing is not achieveing what you want,(by your own personal experience) but you question it because the instructions don't explicitly state what you're doing is not correct?

Never said I wasn't accomplishing what I want.
I'm just sharing my experience.

-Dave

 

[tongsli]

It so happens that it was the number of days that triggered my service, but the reason I entered 180 days is because I feel the oil should be changed at least every 6 months. The flex service part is set up so that if the oil falls below spec, the cluster will tell me to change it earlier.

I think this is something that needs to be explored.

Well if you're just sharing that's fine, thanks. It's the last sentence that kinda confused me. Not sure what you think needs to be explored.